1. FONOFF SOURCE CLOSE TO FRG TRANSIT COMMISSION DEL
HAS TOLD US FRG LEADER WULF MADE STRONG STATEMENT AT
MARCH 14 MEETING REFUTING GDR CONTENTION THAT ITS
RECENT ACTIONS ALONG TRANSIT ROUTES TO BERLIN WERE
SUPPORTABLE UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW (REFTEL). WULF
STATED FLATLY THAT MANY GDR ACTIONS DURING THE FIRST
THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR HAD CLEARLY BEEN VIOLATIONS OF
QA AND TRANSIT TRAFFIC AGREEMENT AND THAT UNDER NO SUCH
GENERAL PRECEPTS AS THOSE CITED BY GDR REPS COULD THEIR
ACTIONS BE CONDONED. WHAT THE GDR COULD DO IN SUSPI-
CIOUS INDIVIDUAL CASES, WULF ADDED, WAS "BROADLY AND
COMPREHENSIVELY" SET OUT IN THE TTA. WULF THEN HANDED
GDR DEL A WRITTEN COPY OF HIS STATEMENT. OUR SOURCE
SAID FRG EXPECTS GDR DEL CHIEF FRIEDERICHS TO RETURN
TO THE ATTACK AT NEXT TRANSIT COMMISSION MEETING APRIL
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 BONN 04195 160921Z
25. COMMENT: WE UNDERSTAND THE REST OF THE MARCH 14
SESSION WAS TAKEN UP WITH THE NORMAL BUSINESS OF THE
COMMISSION, WHICH IN PRACTICE HAS BECOME MUTUAL COM-
PLAINTS AND DISCUSSION IN INDIVIDUAL CASES. IT APPEARS
THE HEAT IS NEARLY OUT OF THIS ISSUE, AT LEAST IN THE
TRANSIT COMMISSION FORUM.
2. OUR IMPRESSION IS TO SOME EXTENT STRENGTHENED BY
STATEMENTS MADE MARCH 15 BY VARIOUS OFFICIAL SPOKESMEN.
GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN GRUENEWALD
NOTED SIMPLY THAT THE RECENT EVENTS OF JAN 26, FEB 16,
AND MARCH 4 HAD BEEN DISCUSSED, AND WOULD COME UP
AGAIN AT THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING. THE TRANSPORT
MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SAID, ACCORDING TO A DPA ACCOUNT ,
THAT THE FRG HAS NO REASON TO DOUBT THE GDR'S EXPLANA-
TIONS DURING THE MARCH 14 MEETING OF THE TRANSIT
COMMISSION REGARDING TRAFFIC HOLDUPS ON TRANSIT ROUTES
ON 16 FEB AND 4 MARCH. HE NOTED IN PARTICULAR THAT
THE HOLDUP AT THE WEST BERLIN CHECKPOINT DREWITZ ON
16 FEB WAS EXPLAINED BY THE GDR REP AT THE COMMISSION
MEETING AS BEING DUE TO A "HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE" IN
BUSES. THE GDR BORDER OFFICIALS THOUGHT THEY HAD TO
DEAL WITH THE BUSES BEFORE THE OTHER VEHICLES. THE
TWENTY-MINUTE RED AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS IN MARIENBORN ON
MARCH 4 HAD BEEN DUE TO A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE
ELECTRICITY NET DURING ROADWORK COMMENT: THIS
REPRESENTS CONTINUATION OF THE FRG POLICY OF TOUGH
STATEMENTS IN THE COMMISSION MEETINGS, WHILE SOFT-
PEDALLING THE TRANSIT DIFFICULTIES IN PUBLIC
UTTERANCES.
HILLENBRAND
CONFIDENTIAL
NNN

Raw content

CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 01 BONN 04195 160921Z
11
ACTION EUR-25
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-07 INR-10 L-03
NSAE-00 NSC-07 PA-04 RSC-01 PRS-01 SPC-03 SS-20
USIA-15 ACDA-19 SAJ-01 NIC-01 DRC-01 /119 W
--------------------- 119710
R 160914Z MAR 74
FM AMEMBASSY BONN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1127
INFO USMISSION BERLIN
USMISSION NATO BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY PARIS
C O N F I D E N T I A L BONN 04195
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: PGOV, ER, GE, GW, WB
SUBJECT: MARCH 14 TRANSIT COMMISSION MEETING
REF: BONN 2607
1. FONOFF SOURCE CLOSE TO FRG TRANSIT COMMISSION DEL
HAS TOLD US FRG LEADER WULF MADE STRONG STATEMENT AT
MARCH 14 MEETING REFUTING GDR CONTENTION THAT ITS
RECENT ACTIONS ALONG TRANSIT ROUTES TO BERLIN WERE
SUPPORTABLE UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW (REFTEL). WULF
STATED FLATLY THAT MANY GDR ACTIONS DURING THE FIRST
THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR HAD CLEARLY BEEN VIOLATIONS OF
QA AND TRANSIT TRAFFIC AGREEMENT AND THAT UNDER NO SUCH
GENERAL PRECEPTS AS THOSE CITED BY GDR REPS COULD THEIR
ACTIONS BE CONDONED. WHAT THE GDR COULD DO IN SUSPI-
CIOUS INDIVIDUAL CASES, WULF ADDED, WAS "BROADLY AND
COMPREHENSIVELY" SET OUT IN THE TTA. WULF THEN HANDED
GDR DEL A WRITTEN COPY OF HIS STATEMENT. OUR SOURCE
SAID FRG EXPECTS GDR DEL CHIEF FRIEDERICHS TO RETURN
TO THE ATTACK AT NEXT TRANSIT COMMISSION MEETING APRIL
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 BONN 04195 160921Z
25. COMMENT: WE UNDERSTAND THE REST OF THE MARCH 14
SESSION WAS TAKEN UP WITH THE NORMAL BUSINESS OF THE
COMMISSION, WHICH IN PRACTICE HAS BECOME MUTUAL COM-
PLAINTS AND DISCUSSION IN INDIVIDUAL CASES. IT APPEARS
THE HEAT IS NEARLY OUT OF THIS ISSUE, AT LEAST IN THE
TRANSIT COMMISSION FORUM.
2. OUR IMPRESSION IS TO SOME EXTENT STRENGTHENED BY
STATEMENTS MADE MARCH 15 BY VARIOUS OFFICIAL SPOKESMEN.
GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN GRUENEWALD
NOTED SIMPLY THAT THE RECENT EVENTS OF JAN 26, FEB 16,
AND MARCH 4 HAD BEEN DISCUSSED, AND WOULD COME UP
AGAIN AT THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING. THE TRANSPORT
MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SAID, ACCORDING TO A DPA ACCOUNT ,
THAT THE FRG HAS NO REASON TO DOUBT THE GDR'S EXPLANA-
TIONS DURING THE MARCH 14 MEETING OF THE TRANSIT
COMMISSION REGARDING TRAFFIC HOLDUPS ON TRANSIT ROUTES
ON 16 FEB AND 4 MARCH. HE NOTED IN PARTICULAR THAT
THE HOLDUP AT THE WEST BERLIN CHECKPOINT DREWITZ ON
16 FEB WAS EXPLAINED BY THE GDR REP AT THE COMMISSION
MEETING AS BEING DUE TO A "HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE" IN
BUSES. THE GDR BORDER OFFICIALS THOUGHT THEY HAD TO
DEAL WITH THE BUSES BEFORE THE OTHER VEHICLES. THE
TWENTY-MINUTE RED AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS IN MARIENBORN ON
MARCH 4 HAD BEEN DUE TO A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE
ELECTRICITY NET DURING ROADWORK COMMENT: THIS
REPRESENTS CONTINUATION OF THE FRG POLICY OF TOUGH
STATEMENTS IN THE COMMISSION MEETINGS, WHILE SOFT-
PEDALLING THE TRANSIT DIFFICULTIES IN PUBLIC
UTTERANCES.
HILLENBRAND
CONFIDENTIAL
NNN